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It does not sound like much: one legacy… But the legacy Richard Granville Bromley (Figure 1) left is a huge one. Palaeoichnology cannot be conducted without knowledge of neoichnology; at least, beh...

The taxonomic treatment of trace fossils needs a uniform approach, independent of the ethologic groups concerned. To this aim, trace fossils are rigorously defined with regard to biological taxa and physical sedimentary structures. Potential ichnotaxobases are evaluated, with morphology resulting as the most important criterion. For trace fossils related to bioerosion and herbivory, substrate plays a key role, as well as composition for coprolites. Size, producer, age, facies and preservation are rejected as ichnotaxobases. Separate names for undertracks and other poorly preserved material should gradually be replaced by ichnotaxa based on well-preserved specimens. Recent traces may be identified using established trace fossil taxa but new names can only be based on fossil material, even if the distinction between recent and fossil may frequently remain arbitrary. It is stressed that ichnotaxa must not be incorporated into biological taxa in systematics. Composite trace fossil structures (complex structures made by the combined activity of two or more species) have no ichnotaxonomic standing but compound traces (complex structures made by one individual tracemaker) may be named separately under certain provisions. The following emendations are proposed to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature: The term ‘work of an animal’ should be deleted from the code, and ichnotaxa should be based solely on trace fossils as defined herein. Fil: Bertling, Markus. University of Münster. Geological and Palaeontological Institute; Alemania Fil: Braddy, Simon J.. University of Bristol. Department of Earth Sciences; Reino Unido Fil: Bromley, Richard G.. Geological Institute Copenhagen; Dinamarca Fil: Demathieu, George R.. University of Burgundy. Earth Sciences Centre; Francia Fil: Genise, Jorge Fernando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "bernardino Rivadavia"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina Fil: Mikulás, Radek. Biology Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; República Checa Fil: Nielsen, Jan K.. Statoil ASA. Exploration and Production; Noruega Fil: Nielsen, Kurt S. S.. Geological Institute Copenhagen; Dinamarca Fil: Rindsberg, Andrew K.. Geological Survey of Alabama; Estados Unidos Fil: Schlirf, Michael. Institute for Palaeontology; Alemania Fil: Uchman, Alfred. Jagiellonian University. Institute of Geological Sciences; Polonia

By establishing the bioerosion ichnogenus Oichnus , Richard Bromley (1981) addressed ‘small round holes in shells’ and catalysed a series of still ongoing discussions on ichnotaxonomical principles. In a recent revision by Zonneveld and Gingras (2014), Oichnus was rejected, together with Tremichnus Brett, 1985 and Fossichnus Nielsen, Nielsen and Bromley, 2003, by means of subjective synonymisation with the presumed senior synonym Sedilichnus Muller, 1977. However, Sedilichnus is nomenclaturally unavailable, because it is an atelonym (conditionally proposed). In addition, reinvestigation of the type material of ‘Sedilichnus’ shows that it probably describes variably shaped oscula and thus is a genuine morphological character of the host sponge Prokaliapsisjanus , rather than a bioerosion trace fossil. The ichnogenera Oichnus and Tremichnus are re vised, leading to the synonymisation of Balticapunctum Rozhnov, 1989 with Tremichnus, and of Fossichnus with Oichnus . The refined ichnogeneric diagnoses return Oichnus to complete or incomplete bioerosive penetrations in calcareous skeletal substrates, commonly interpreted as praedichnia with or without signs of attachment, while Tremichnus (now including O. excavatus ) exclusively refers to shallow pits passing into echinoderm skeletons that are interpreted as domichnia or fixichnia.